Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations
1969 A durable fyre: the poetry of Sir Walter Raleigh Sharlene Furman Gillette Iowa State University
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Recommended Citation Gillette, Sharlene Furman, "A durable fyre: the poetry of Sir Walter Raleigh" (1969). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 16090. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/16090
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A DtJRADLE FYRg, THE POeTRl OF SIR WALTER RALma
Sharlene FUrman Gillette
A Th ••ia Sub11tted to the Graduate Facul\7 in Partial Ful1'11lHnt. ot
The R.qu1r~.nt. tor the Delr.. or MASTmt OF ARTS
Major Subject: English
Signatures have been redacted for privacy
Iova~'t"-vn19.l" .... ty Ot Science and TecbnoloQ AMea, Iowa 1969 11
CONTENTS
Page
INtRODUCTION.. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 lULEGH au POEtRy.. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 A V1e10n Upon This Conoo1pt at the Faery queene • .. .. • • • 6 The Lie .. • • • • • • • • • . .. • • · . .. · ...... • • 9 To the Translat.or ot Lucan. . .. . • • • • • • • • • • .. • • 12
THE POEt t S P!1ORD(AOE .. .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 Farewell to the Court •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 L1k. to a Ho~te Poora • • • ...... • • • • • • • • • • • • 16 A Farewell tc Faloe Love ...... • • • • • • • • .. 18
The Passionate Mana Pllcrimage. • .. • • • • • • • • • • • .. 20 A. You Came 'r03 tbe Holf Land. .. • .. • .. • • • • .. .. . • • 24 1
INTRODUCTION
Both the lite and the poetJ7 ot Sir Wal.ter RAle8h hold a special tasotnaU.on tor tvenUeth-century un. In the demands or the era in which be liwd thare 1. a. parallel to our tim. and ita demands. The
8S8enee ot the act!ve 1ita oan be seen in the dasbing oourtier. the yenturesome or(£anlaer ot coloniee. But in Ralegh '8 lite there are Ilany cont.radiotions. Ralegh vas a man capable ot both "MlSaere ot the . 1 Spanish and a unique cCMpaGsion tor the Indians in the New World. There is tbe paradox ot Ralegh'e .rtort, in pursu1rl8 wealtb, position. and royal favor (superficial. and aballo" pur8uit._ tor any age) and bi. learcb tor the basic ingredients in WAt. we now call the Ron.a1sBMoe. lie sought to trace the IIlOvement or hlator.r trOll the cLaW! ot Use. which lor an:! age 1. an amb1tioua l'l.2! su.perlicial taak. One atudent ot Ralech's pintorx ot the Uorlq2 •••a ~l thi8 york the thea. that God doou .an, and justly. ltalegb'a euainatioQ ot hi.tor, 1n ••arch ot ita redellpUve purpooe oerta1nl¥ could not 00 aoneidered shallow. He atud1ed and experb&ent.ed 1n aodlo1n., oheJdstr'y. agrl.ault~. hortiCulture.
Rathematica, and aat~nomr.) He vas lnterested and aoca.pllohed in 4- au.ic and knoy,,on Ulong h1a peers as • poet al well IUS a aou1'"tier. I .. connnced th~t Ralegh sought to lath_ ..an 'e potential tor botb an
&aU". a.'ld • conteRpl.tty. lit...... ,oal 70t Y1able in the twentieth
Wbatewrthe paradox and d1 verntie. ot Ralegh·. lite. hie poetry
8uccesatullT aapttU"e8 the el.encel ot run 'e opport.unit.y and potenUal opportnni ty tOt" incr.uul, awareneaa and PQtonUal tor both hope and 2 despair. His pootl'71e otten PenGive because both tho lIan and the ace had
doubts. a.tt in it.s contesnplatiYfl natlU"e, tbepoetJ"''y spea)u, from t.be age ot Elisabeth to a lItOdem concern tot" the understanding ot ton.\tne, 1118-
tortune. and .an's place in a un!vere.'ot cban~. and opportunity.
!be poetry ot 'Sir Walter P..a1ogh 18 a "durable lyre," valid and alive 1n our Ume. In the collective v1uion ot several ot Ratesb'e poems a continuing theme onn be observed. It 18 a poet'. pUgr11lagtt tor the "durable tyro" ot his exiatonee.
Sutt b"ue Lou. 1. a durable Eyre In the ~. suer burnynge; Nouer .yeke, neuer ould. neuer dead, From itt selte neuer t.umynge.
(As you CaM trotl the hol1 land. XXI. 41.44).5
The poetio atat..ent ot un'a need tor truth, tor the aoorlll1 ot Haning in a chaotic worldJ 1. the durable 11.re ot Rale~h' a p1lcrisage. Each poem ""ala a difterent tacet or further l11tmdnea sOlIe phaae c! the poet,' a oont,inuing que.t. . For Ralegb. who l1ye Journey. .818 pU.viJlas. is a journe,Y througb the uglineaa ot real1 ty and through the doubt, and uncert.a1nUe8 of the spirit. Hi. poetic utterances deal wtth real rather than id,yll1o worlds; tho "-creation ot his spiritual pi1cr1rta&. 18 substantially grounded 1n a clear-eted dia111ua10n. Truthless dr_._ Md opUcd.... &TO dehunked 1n the poet'. concern vi tb JIlAn' a re.ponse to a goal beyond tortune, mistortune, and despair. Beoau50 Ralegh never Bot out to be a poet and raro17 signed hil 6 published. work. aarl7 ot bie versoe did not. surviye. Controverq rust• . over bow auoh ot Ralech's work baa IUJ"V1ved to the tventleth oentuZ7. t One critio and biographer. K. L. Row ...? boU.v•• that. because Rolegb • pons vere 80 popular, aoat. ot tbeJa d1d 8umve. P.ova.·. 18 A Jlinont.y 9 view. Donald Davie8 at.atee that auch baa been lost. MiD8 K. o. Bradbrook calle whAt po_. we have til trapent.a which eurvivo.· Agnes Lat.h_. the aoa\ recent edttor to t.aokle the prabl_ ot the Ralesh canen. bellevea, t.oo, that onl¥ a lUll portion ot t.he po_a Wegn wrote 8Ul"V1ve8. LaUum'. edition of au.all pae118 cont.a!.ne forty-one &8cnbecl to Ralegh with reasonable authority.. twelve wbloh tora a con. jectural. -Ralogh Group· 1n lbe Phoenix PI.at, ind one doubt.tulq ASOribed to Ralogb, vith notel on 88veral ot.bera. Hore than halt ot the authentl- 10 cated paeIIl, Mias tatbaa conclude.. taU into one group dat.ed after the 1580'. and lz!tor! Rat.gb'. talllroa J"01al tavw in 1~92. The ehrcnolor.i cal placement. 01 the". pons emphasise. an introspect.ion and • eophiat.loa t.ion which would auggeot. a contetlplative or1entaUon during one ot the soat. acU"e tinea ot Welhl. career. "fbi. group of poems, representing rough17 halt ot the canon. 1. probablT. then, tho product. of Ralegb '. est. suocessful. brilliant., and nnt.uresClee ,..ara, the 1S82-1592 period when he reigned a. Eli.abeth'e handsollae court tavor1te~·· 'While on17 the dat.e. ot the cOtllWndato17 ,"raea and ep1tapha are certain. Lat.baa'. chronological placeaent. 1e based on as much evidence as is available.ll Though the &urviv1n1 nuaher ot poe •• is proporUonallJ BUll, the prabl_ of authentication 18 a d1ttloult. one. Editors in the earl1 ....enteantb cantu.,. otton oollected JU1\Y var1O\ls17 aut.bored anonymous poems and addecl thea to the work. of 80L!la nobleman. MlsD Lathaa OOA"Aenta. aRalegb' a jealoulSl;r preSe1,..a auunyal t.1 IlAdo twa aas1' prey .and tho probl_ of aut.henticity 1,. sadly- oorapllcat.ecl Dr the t'requen.c1 nth which poou that on. haa roason to beltevo are hie, appear aaong the poethWllous work. 12 ot another or .everal other author•• II Another o01'lp11oaUon datee baok \0 Warton'. l,Iigtorg or !rJil1sh Poetrx. ltaleah l • rep17 to Marlowe's PO_, -The Pasa10nate Sheephennl to Ria tove,· ia signed 1",0\0, whioh Warton ,; 8818 1s RaloSh t a constant. a1,natu". Beveral later editor. printed .... Ralegh' .. all thoao po._ _igned Ignoto in ~. §ncland! nellcon and nel1gul8! Wottonlanae collectlone.13 The •• editions VOTe praotioally wort.hless in the ut.t.er ot at1thent1~1t.Y' Several modarn ed1t1ona bued on COIrlpet.ent authentioation 8eet!a t.o agree on the buia Ralech oanon. the 1815 edition ot poema ot Ral."h . 14 and Wotton contains 29 poeu collected by J. Hanzuah. An edition 1S t edited by Oerold Bullet.t. dona 1n 19f4.? list. 31 poems, and Mi.aD Lath.. • 1951 edit.ion lists 41 with reaaonable authenticat.ion and 12 conjectural poems. The diapute over authorship ot individual poema 1. not yet 16 eettled. but beCCLUS8 tathalA'a ed1Uon has convincin,lT docuaent.ed the authenticity ot each po_ quoted 1n tb1e theaie, that edition will be uaed as the text. Latham baa retained with sou recularilation the original spolling ot the text.. judged to be Ralegh t •• Moat or tho po_a exa1ned 1n this thesia are trOll the 1582-1592 per1od. At the poMt of hie brilliant Ol1reel". RBlegh the poet. looked lnten.el¥ at fortune., aU.utortuneo, dcopa1ra, and hopes in bie lite. Hie poet!"yi. botb a refiective report or the preaent and an att_pt to deal with the 1nconsistencies ot his world. SeYe!"ol ot Raleah's poeu combine to exhibit hie view or poetry, 1 ttl objecUvas and 1ts tunction.. Part two or thil work will exuine pons vh1ch suggest a consistent anet untfied notlon ot poetry. . .Tho last. "aotion of this thea1a will be an expUoat1on ot the pu,riaat,e tbeme round 1n seYeral poeDl8. This t.beae baa beeD prev1oua17 . o.. erved onlt in those poeu vhere P.alegb apeake dlrect17 of pilgri_ and pl1gr1ug... But th18 thea exiata 1n poeas not prencma17 read u pUgJ"iDsage po.... I find that the conUnuing threads ot the poet 'a apintnat Journq oan be observed wen aeveral po.s ara ax.. lned oolloe t1 veq. The poet· 8 p1.lcr~age 00"8S as a. direct.iV8 tor the readars both t.o ••• real! ty AS the poet aeea 1 t and to understand tho durable tire ot hie ult111Ult.e goal. The vitality and honesty ot hi. atatnents make thea relevant and "alld 1n the present day. 6 Ralep" vi..., ot poetlce 1lU8t, be extracted troDl evidence found in several of hi. poems moe no direct. .tatementa concernin,; the !'unction OJ" value ot art, ot an)' kind are attributable t.o tWa. Even though P.a1e,h made no ettort. to publisb. hi. own poetr,y ,17 there 18 evidenoe that be beUovocl poet.1'1' to be a bod..Y ot iJsportant and durable DtatttJlenta ot the , 18 1deals of love and beauty and t.ruth. His scorn of public opinion led hill to ... poetr,y as an opportunity tor tntoll.ely per.onal end realiuUo detinitions ot aan'. spiritual struggle. Hi, poetry, while written lor spcoltl0 occaaions or persona, iooa beyond the function ot praio. or Ilere delight. The Virion Upon This Concelpt ot the Faery Queena The beat. exapa ot Ralegh's Yin ot poetry 18 .~n 1n bis vera. written 48 • tribtJte t.o Me Irlend Spenser and in pr41ao ot lht Fam:t MothoU£ht. I saw t.he grano, whoro LauJ"~ lay, Within that. Tet!lplo, vhore the ycstAll flame Was wont to burna t and passing by that "83. To see that buried dust ot litling 1M., Whoso t\1l1lbe laire loue, and fairer vert.ue kept. AU slldde1nq I saw the Faery Queena: At whose approch the aoule ot Petrark, wept. And from thanoetorth those graoes wore not seene. For thoy ilia Queen. at.tendtKI. in whoso Itteed Obliulon laid hia dovne on L~ur~ hersa; Bereat the hardest atones vore seene to bleed, And aron.. o! bnriftd g}tostos tho mmens did parso. Whore Homers sprlght did trenble all tor gricre, And curet tht aeeeuue ot that oe108t1a11 tbeir•• (A Vls10n vpon We conceipt ot the Faery Qveene. nIl) ? \iben the reader partioipates in the dslon Ralogh presents in Ude poe&Il. he i. engulted in the dla and dUlt.y rec.,ue. of the temple ot Laura'. toItb, where -the Y8stall filJAG/ Was wont to bume.v 1he place, privat.e and rMlote, io -kept- by "taire love and furor vor-tue.- Pet.-aroh'a soul, HOIIOr'. spirit, end. "burled. sho.ta" Inhabit. the temple alao. The post hiuelt bas co.e doliberately and nlverently. .. .. • pasoing by that. WI.a:t, to eee that buried dust ot 11Ying tame. (nIl. ,-4) The 11 ring t._ of the boautitul:q YirtuoWl, Iluch-loved. and eloquently praised Laura 18 an eXeMplar f)f all poetio creation extolling love and rirtue. Reverence tor tb1a ideal i. the oentral moring toree in Wegb' 8 Yialon. The lwportanca or thia reverence la, tor the poet, extended tl'Oll put t.o tut,1l1"e •. lie divide. hi. poa, aa he does hi, admiration. nth considerad e.."1.phMia upon the creations ot both Petrarcb and ~'pen.er. " The center or the po_ resta, t.hen, upon the ideal croation in pootrT ~ the _bodiMnt ot love and virtue. Ralegh 811'•• & macabre aott.1n, for praise 01 the ideal he Deta . ." forth. A burial place. a candle. the dill receSSGS ot a ter.ple. all GO_ oerie prope tor a vi.ion ot honor and praiae tor Spenler's work. It ie, however, ju8t thia eeriQ lettin£ which ac:cos;pllshea the cont.raota necessary to put. Tb,s Ftl9'2 guennt be.t"ore t.he reader in a light. which vill .how it.' true aerlt-it.s 'merit as the embodiaent 01 a livina; ideal. In the .talon. as t.he 'aery QU!l~me approaches. we are aware of the con. t..-aats or living tora and buried dust, or values that dwell out.side the 8 temple and those which dwell within t.he tomb. Sunshine and darkn•••• regal tollowers and 8011 tar.Y burial. cO!Ibine to tora a contrast between the contemporary exp.rience ot Spenser'. subject and the reaoten.s8 ot the Laura or the sonnets. . The Faery Queena arrlvee a 80 lovely and virtuous 18 Spen.er· 8 areation that the graces, tlfair. love and fairer yertue.· artt cOJIpelled to leave their revorent vigil at Laura'. grave--a pasDage froa paat to present-to Join the entouraee surrounding t.he Queen. The graee. bave 8uddenly recognised the beauty ot the Queen and the lovel, talr)r world Spenser created tor her to inhabit. 1118 cracea have not waited tor the judgment. ot time to appoint tbea to their vigil. The independenoe or the gra.ca. in Ralogh·. lIetaphor _phasiae. the Ilagni t.ude or the praiH he intends tor Spenser. Spenser's creation 18 conteaporar.r and demands acu.ve hc:aag.; the metaphor GUoeata that. everything 18 touched or aUrred in aome w~ by the aore presence ot the ideal of love and beaut1 _bodied in th. Faery Queene. Th. approach ot the Queen i. indeed a ao:aentou8 event. 'lb. ,graceD are drawn away as 1t by a .agnatic beaut.y; P.trarch'l lou1 veeps, one BUmaGS, both tor the beauty ot the '8er7 Queene, 80 like that ot bia Laura, and tor the loaa ot t.oW homage t.o hie creation. The aacabre eleMent.. inereaoe sa Raleah upbaaises the totali t..Y 01 the ,bitt in obel.anaa. the stones bleed. and buried gbosts groan. The whole envirorDleflt (literary t.radition) 1, diarupted. Stones al'e dis t;.lfbe and bright. and 11vely 1ft tho 1It1dst ot ,10011 and r __brancel and deathl,y qu1et. Spenser's work appears al the new spirit and new 11fe tor Elizabethan l1terature •. P~egh 1s deliberately oontrasting a modern work done in ~~gllah with the accuaulated beauty and excellence ot literature cast in olher languagea oyer bundreds ot years. Rulegh intends the comparison to be startling, even brash. Hom~rt. spirit -did tremble all tor grail", England had prouucod a cilFlllen,. to tho vork or lIo:.tJr ~d all theanolent.s. nal~ghta vision procla1aa the at.tuG at Spenser', verae in bold, anlcrtlvo t.erms. 1'he lov~ly FU17 Quoena 10 Il ·oelestial theite" who haa stolen tho roveJ"ence and the devotion or P.alegh·. age. Ho longer ftuat tftairq love and fAirer vert-nett wait at. Laura·, tOlib. RAlegh!s vislon altOW's a =oveent trom put to presont, trort. death t.o life. from. cla881cal excellenoe to ::tad.rn. Most of aU Ralegh' 5 vision .hova ]he Yler,x: Queen! Aa a oreation worth,r ot honor and as a crad!. t to the Engl1.oh tongue &nd !1i2abcth.19 The L1.a In a pou:t which baa.a ita subJeot Elizabotha.'l inatitutions u Ralegb aaw ther.t~ ve oan aee evidenoe or Ralogh 'e view of the £Unct.ion or poetry. i!o. 11k.. Sidney in his "'DefoMe or Poe.fi~ft u;::holda the value of poetic ut.terances u em.bodbenta ot ideal truth. "The Lie- apeAk. of the lncc1luiater.cica in buun behllvlor that we all experience. The phra80 -thon give thea all the l1e- can be read 8S Itaccuse \hell of lying." It wa~ the trnd1tlor..nl way to challeng., s~eono t.o a. duel. Thi. poem, better t.han M)t other. 18 Balo«h,l., ch!flle~ to 10 institutions, to .001a1 IIl,Ythe, to fortune, to 11t. itself'. It 1s .. 8tat~ent or a poet vt~ 8ees poetic ar~ a8 & ~.an& ot derinlng the gap between ~le actual accompllsnmento and the supposed goodness or civil1- satlon. Tell .en ot hiah oondition, that mannag. the estate, l'h.ll" puppose 1s ubl tlon. their practise onely hate, And it they once reply, then gius th_ all the lie. Tell tortune ot her blindnesse, tell nature or decay, Tell friendship ot Ynkindnesue, tell lustice of delay. And it they vill reply t then giue them all the lie. (the Lie, XXVI, 19-24, .55-60) The poem expresses the state or the oourt and EliZAbethan Uta a. R&legh round it. Hot only doe" Ralegh invite the duel, but h. i8 certain that such II tirade invite. retribution. No one WIt. challenge estab lished beliefe or speak truthtully ot accepted inconslstancies and deaeptions without expecting a duel to tollow. So when thou bast as I. co!'uumded thee t done blabblng. althoUGh to glue the 11 •• deeerue. no lesse then stabbing, Stab at thee he that mll, no stab thy soule can k11i. (XXVI, 7)-78) The soul '8 greatness will, the poea artims, ISUrvive the stabs of fortune just as poetiC truth will lurnv8 the hostilities ot the envirOM8nt lt -11 .:data In, an~. alon, w1th the poet'. oO\tl. 11111 cant,lmu. t13 oluulenae ttw doludtni: rqtha tut .x1et 1u ant age. ·-·tollW1t.- be vntett, ..... bow mucb 1t wr&nll•• in t1ckle po1nta ot tl,1cen •• 311. tell wlatdcme abe ttnt,&n&l.. her "1£. 1n Oller viaeno(H' •• Amt when they doe reply .\rn1jht. g1ue thoa bot.h the 11•• !ell Art. th~ hane no .oundno.... but Y&J"¥ by 8#Ut.urti. Toll schoolo, they wo..~t. pJ'Of'oundn.a ,Jltl(l 2ttrand \00 Gob on .....lul. It Art.l and ."boolee reply. «1«- uta L"Ul .anool•• tho 11 •• PotrtJ7 l a !'Unction and vulua hCtt'e 1. ,tiS a cbAllftngo to .en to see t.'telr .octety and t.he1:- chorished altha with cl~uu· _yea. Thi. POOCl\. like Ralogh'. vi_ of the oroaUon of '!'be '~lt.rx Ott"".. , .uk. lor an honGl't. appraisal t>t a oont._por.,., ~:r1tm4e. YoetJ"Y a~rve • •• _ vi.hIe ex.PHsa1cm of the red world Often thl"OUgh \h. poet' ••yen. P.41e,h v1avea pOb\17. thtn, Il' v1r11t ao.,_en\ Iron p'a:st.to '"lIen\. tr'GN tltncy to n411tr. ~o.tl"Y f'unct.lcna at It dlrucUvCt t.o tho reader: veigb oat-etully th•• .,.1 t.s of tho oonte~pora.~ *«a1naf. the tra d1t.lenlll 111 11.'ara.tul"e ame Gouiet1. PoefJ:'7 point. unld. .rxi to-"'~rd ideal truth_ In other pO_I Raleth add e •• others and IDll-. hi. Olr.'l oQU."tI.l to apeak cleftr11 and bonestly about \he pre_an'. just u he does 1n "The Lie." EVan whan Ralecb writ•• ot ~oen !l1a&beth. delilwr4lwly intend1.na t.o win h.r tavor. he dwell' on the need for no1tli t.he BltuaU.on, t.houGh hOf". 10'81. realluUoall,y. '%be tollow1.n;t ax_pl. au t.ee tt.alolh·. dinoti:n_ 12 But. love her prays". apeak thov ot nought but wo, Write on tbe We that Sorrow bydda thee tell, I Strive to torgett, and CAre no !lore to know Th)' cares are lmown, b7 knowinge thoa t.oo vell. Deser1be her now as shee appe.res to thee, Jlot 88 shae did appeere in daYGs tordtJnn. In love thos thinge that wtare no aore may bee, "Yor taney 8e11dume ends vher 1. t begunn. (The 11th: and last. book. ot the Ocean to So1.nth1a. XXIV, 213-220) To the Translator ot Lucan Poat.rr tor Ralegb 8~bolil.1 the heroio 8aorU'icing struggle or the spirit. Thie poet., who 80 carefully related h10 poet'ta to the real world And ita sorrovs, recognizes the 11:C1lortallt,y or ulUJute truth. Lucan' 8 work and that or his translator acc~pll8hed the tRek of true poetry. They wrote, Ralegb aBY8, not to pleRse or flatter but to rnaal a contemporary experience which embodies a poetic ideal. Had Lucan hid the truthe to please the tine. He had been too un\tOrthy or thy Ponn4l: 'tlbo never sought, nor euer car'd to clime By flattery, or seeking worthl~8ee men. For this thou. hast been bru18 'd I but yet those ecarrea Do beAut1fie no lesse, then tho:se vO'.lnds do Reaeiu'd L~ lust, and in religioul warres; Though thou hast bled by both, and bttarat t.hma too. Change not, to change thy tor tune ti8 too late. Who with a manly faith rSDoluoa to dye, H~ p~se to hl~selte a lasting state, Though not 10 great. yet tree fro. lntU11. Such was thy Luoan, WhOA 80 to translate Nature thy Muse (liko L.oans) did create. (To tho Tran~lator ot Lvoan, XIXV) Ralegh teels that a poet ~U8t bypass flattory and aere Qen pleasing and recelva tho bruisel ar.cl stab~ ot contemporary oPpotJi tion. 1) Pootr;y. in Ralop's new, rau,t. iUmlinn.tG a cont.OAporary experience, cont.ribute to lb••• an1n« ot that. .xperlonce. and uphold a poetio truth. Poetry must point to an ideal that i8 posed as a goal, not tor huMan att.ainment, but. tor the poet fa p11grlllage in aearch ot ultimate truth. 14 THli; POET'S PILGRIMAGE A synthesis ot the active and the contemplative lite is defined in the pilgrimage observed in the following po_. Man,. at Ra1egh I a POellS when examined collective.l)' exhib1. t suggestion. and echoes ot a pilgrimqe theme, the unifying theme proposed 1n 11fT reading. rus poet wrote from the vantage point at the sorrow and despair created by hi. own resporuse to Elizabethan court lite. It 18 trCX!l such a vantage point (the aotive life) that he look. ahead to the goal or hi. pilgriaage (the contemplative lite). Farewell to the Court '!be awakening with which Ralegb begins this poem depicts a .an·. growing awareness of the transitory nature or pleasure. Joy. once present in the poet' IS experience are now slipping ira hi. view. Like truthle. dreeee, so are lIlY 10yel expired, And past returne. are all 1111 dandled daiesl (Farewell to the Covrt, XXI, 1.2) Love and fancy too 8eem beyond reach. Each ot these pleasures once occupied the ttdandled daies- and each, like a truthless dre_, hu engaged the consciousness only briefly. The pampered days during which the poet f., pleasures surrounded h1m were days at confinellent, the poet'. world of experienoe va8 nal'TOY, perhaps sballow, and truthless. '!be world he speaks ot in this context ls the reall ty ot Ell.:abeth IS court, but the poea also recreate. the vast leas and continents at tranaitor,y joys and universal sorrows. The loot delights Dlove further iron the poet's Yiw, as 1t he vere stranded on shore, helple.aly watching them sUp !rent sight. The pre.ent. reQognlzable. detinable reality (all that. 1. lett on abore with the poet) 1s a throbbing Borrow. 11ke waves orashing aaalnst the rocka. it, lost delights nov clewl4I trorl 8iBht ot lru'.d. Ha.ve lett tH all alone in unknovne wniess (XII, 5.6) The -knknowne wa1ea rt cO=PO.. the continent upon which the poot 18 stranded with little control ot 11fe 0'1' spirit or tortune. The dull rhythm or tbe ftetaphorieal eoa 1s echoed and re-echoed by the rofrain. nOt all whioh put. the sorow onely 8tai08.- Thus. t.he dull throbbing SOrr(N 18 =orely an aocO".;lpnniment to the poet'. grouing avarGnesaa 1t i8 a vohicle which t.ransports him to a new porspeot,lv. ot his world. PIeallUres slip allay; sorroll relltaing. The aVQ}um1ng "hares the pG4:Jt t S senso ot poly,llll..'lt. lone.. 11ne88 as the poem continues. Tho poet 18 in the "countro71t of his nev awareness, "vi thout com. panion.D The loneliness is coupled with a sense ot the ineT1tability ot death as the pont. cotllprehends the passage ot time and lite. lonely vaile the wrong ot deaths delails. \,11088 sveet" spring spent, whoae 10=01" wo11 nle don, Ot all which pa~t. the aorov onel, stalea. (XII. 10.12) Perhaps the aW4renesa or lneyltabla death pr~ptu the wish to burry death'. arrival. The poet i8 acutely avare not onl~ ot the lonelinosl but also ot a volda expired joy and Alaled love on one lide and possible 16 oblivion on the other. A~&in hilS 4.va.rcne88 18 a~companled b-, the por listont rhytht"l ot SOlT'OV. "or all. which past. the BOrow onal)" atdes.· 'the awakening in this poem to an intense lonellneal and atrR!1t;8 terrain places the poet on the very edge ot the void betwCHln youthf'ul pleaaures and dftatb. fl18 situation has noved !rOtA cont1nenaent to explo. ration (acconpanled by sorrow) into a vidor world or increasing consoious. ness. The poet hl~ISelt 1s emorg1na trom the ~truthl8S dre4ftes" ot a narrower world. The void betore hie crust be filled with the stufl ot real! tl and the poet. conteRplatel a pllgr1ftago ahead. He ChOOIOI to recognise the pain ot aolTOV. to relegAte the paat joy. to a liMbo ot truthlees dreamea. and to tind in this atranga oountry or his avareneaa his "fortunes tolde.- The void suggested in the poem RUst he oroased "ere age and winter cold.- • • • care forewarne.,. ere &l;e and winter eolde. To haste me hence, to rind my fortunes folds. (XII, 1"'14~ The poet e:xpreescl5 the cr.l~.u.·tiement ot hie world from confinad pla;1tsurca to the £liore painful and wider continent. of experience. The sorrow which is alwaya rlth h1!n beraldl the beg1nnl:\t! ot a new 11fe, a lite of nliareneO!3 of hiG relationship to the world. His r.mr awareness gives hin the impetu8 for a pilgriMl)ge upon wh1(}h he must nov enbark. Like to a Hero te Poore Ralegh May hay. seen a clear vilion ot existence "in a count-rey atrL"'l,e without conpanlon" (Farewell t.o the Covrt., line 9). ItLike to .. HeMdte J.."OOre" i8 the deacription of a spiritual withdrawal tro:s the 11 pain which acco;npanied. the poet.·s awakening; it is tho d0scrlption o.t a 10."\011 vandtlrer who 19 withQut. a goal. The l!lspensior$ of' aotivity .end the rotreiAt troa t.ile world !Cakas the bermit.u,~e 1nt.~rlude a sojourn in a land 01 near-despair. Death 1s the only visible, attainable goal on the other aide ot the void the poet. 1a lorced to cant_plate. In t.he Iramework ot tll10 poem the poet baa turned his back on al17 goal, even death. ae baa tound a ~plao. obocur •• " I aeane to 8pend 111' dldel ot endles doubt, To waile euon woes as tine cannot rocur8. ~nere none but Loue .hall euor flnde me out. (1,1ko t~ a Hemite poore, XI, 2-4) the poet'. retreat. bas erreet1voly allowed hilt a tiu ot suspension, a ti•• ot abject cont~plat1on ot the pain ot awarenoao. His _eager tood and drink are sorrow and tears, his statf is brokenl hi ••7~steno. as ve1l as his body is shl"Cuded 1n gray. And tor ~ light in !Sl1c!1 obsoured aha.de, The nal!lea ahall DeNG, which tro~ "'1' hart. ariae. A &O'..me of grain, By bod!e shall attire, Hy starto ot broken hope vhOlreon Ile stale. or late repentance l1nckt with long desire, the CO'.loh i8 fre'de whereon my Iblba Ile lay, (XI, 7-12) The poet. 1. "a1t1n~. even hoping, that love, not despair. will keep tho gate ot his loneliness. Deat.h 1 .. the inevitable pursuer outside tho ,aUt; t..'le poet 1& helpless, at the morcy of love and de.rspair. The pom expn8H8 a taint hope of love'. triumph oYer despdr L'ld 4 hope ot -late repentance.- The poet. ~ have rotreate~ to a helpleos 8t~te. on obsouro 18 plaoe, but hiu suspension in time trom lito 10 oars preparatory or contemplative than pemanent. The central emphasis in the poell is on retreat. the suspension of life-activity tor a contemplative n~ent. Hope 18 hovering, waiting for dospair to awing the gat.e open. And at my ,ate dlapair.- shall linger sUll, To let in death whon louo and Fortune will. (XI, 1)-14) There 18 little doubt about the dO!dnance at despair; death'8 oO!:ll1ng 1& inevitable but not the poet's central concern. ae 1, con- cerned with retreat. at least ftOlllentarily, and with the sorrow that ls. onoe again, his c011lpanion. The poet vni tat cold. sorrowful, and threat ened by despair. His obsourity 18 aucceastu1; none but love, he lays, "ahall euer finde me out." A Farewell to FalGe Love In the oontext of tho poat's widening avareneas of the world beyond the narro-.Jness or his joys -like tJ"llth1es dreames, rt he finds himself faoed with the necessity of dealing with talse valuea. ll. oalls tbe!!\ "talse love, the oraole ot 11~s.· Tho real pilgrimage can not begin until the poet has cut h1m8elt lOOS8 from a. false way, ". way or error." Farewell talS8 loue. the oracle or 11es, A aortal toe and en1m1e to rest: An enuioua boy., rrotl whome all carea ariaa, A bastard vile, a beast 1d th rage POSS8St f A way or error. a ""ple rul ot treason. In all offects, oontrar1e vnto reason. (v. 1-6) 19 The talso values are -. ~ortal toe-, tho poot 1. brought to an awareness ot The treaoh«ry ot the eneJty 111 t.h which be nust. deal 1s .ndAt olear. He cuet battle each tona the enemy appeara in. To reoogn1:e D.. poyaumed lorpent. cO\tared all with ,flO"J8ra," and -. beast. with rage POS'8St," i. to understand both the subtle and blatant dan,ers of -. wa..v ot error. For .. poet. whone journey will lead t.o the diY1ne tire ot ulUJSat.e tJ'\1th, .. clear look at the mato, "n path that. leAds to per'111 ond 1'!iabap." 11 essential. Ralegh :tovos beyon1 tho mero recogni Uon ot talsonen. The journey his spirit would take 1'lUst hewe more purpoae than: A ranain.g cloude that runnes betore t."le wind., A subntar.oe 11ke tho shadOW ot the 5u.nne. A gonle ot griote tor which ~h. wisest runne. (V, 16.18) A real journey, the p:1lgrl.:n.age the poet sete out on, 1W8t begin b,. a recognition or the cumy f'.kCea fune .,~uc. say vear. the poet. ROY •• beyond the &l1I1'7 denunciation of the snare. around and wi thin h1ft. Self-deception and a world whioh posea tala. yalue. tor true combine to 20 torc, he 88:0J, A achol. ot guile, a net 01 deepe deceit, A gu11ded hooke, that hold. a poysoned bayte. (V. 11-12) The nots and the book SlUat be cut away in order to save the poet's aoul, tor progresn1or. toward & vort~ Goal. The poet must alao cut the roote ot lalner-eGI within himself 1n order to be tree ot bondage to talse love whenever he encocnters it. False lovo 18 the poet's aortal toe and the .truggle to rid ~~mcelr of the roots ot taloenese 1s the only action po_albl.. The tnloo values in the world can never be co~plete11 detented. The only purgation posulble its J)1!reonal and lS}liritual. Falso Umft; Deeyra; and £.euty trayll adetf'e Oaad 18 the root. vh~no. ell these fancyes gr~e. (Y, 29-JO) The poet, in freeing h1~~alr ot the roots and nets ot cooept1on, has cleared the nay to fleek hie ,;o.al. the "Durable 7";rre ft or truo love. Both the w~ and tho pectin viclon arc ole~red tor spiritual rrowth. The Passionate Han~ Pl1ar1mage The poet. baa in hia .,.raea Gpokon ot his awareneas, of his wi th draval, and ot hiB need to abandon talse ways. lie setls that a. journey along a tnte way is a spiritual necessity; be lISuat crOSB tho void which separates his youthful j018 tro. eventual death. His awareness of reality bas aeeaingly forced hi. to t.he edge of the void. The p11grilru1ge upon which h, CURt go is ~ar:ped out by another 'poem, I:tTha paesionate aanl 21 flalegh begins his pilgriaag$ with a reoognition or tbe wider world be baa found. Hi. JOTS and pleasures have retreated L"'ld he has freed bbl selt ot the ,nares of talae values alon, a tals8 path. While leaving behind the dree... l1ke pleasures with .. negation ot their reality, he ebarka. para.doxically. in this poem upon a pilgrimage tOlmdod 1n .let another drea-a dreUl ot eternal. lite.20 The viaion Ruegn preeent8 ot the gou or h1s p11grlm~& II1MBB clear. hovever, that this droQ 18 not. "truthles. tt Instead, tllie drOMl 1. olonD1,. !dent1l1ed vitb the roa11t10& ot tangible objoots. Gine me ~ Soallop sbell ot qu1et, Hy statfo ot Faith to walke vpon. My Scrip of Ioy, :~~ort~ll diet. My bottle ot saluat100z ~~y Gowne 0: Glory. hopes trns '3ge, And thuo lIe take my pilgrimage. (The passionate mMS 1'1.l&r1mage, XlI, 1-6) lhe poet reoogn1&es both hunan 9nd 8piritual necess1ties. Tho poet requirea quiotnoss (1~r aalr~es~). r.~th. joy, knowledge ot ealvatlon, and SOl:1e lde-nt.itiaation wit.h Att.ainable glorJ 1n order to beg1n hio pilgrimage. uoh. apiritul1l necessity 1s tranaf'ormed ••ta phorically into the properties needed in reality lor a pilgriftogez the stat!, tor rough torrain (faith), the fOHn, to ahield one £ro. cold (glory); the oholl. to carry enele worldly goods in (1nn9r quiet); and the food a~d dr1nk, to refresh a parched and hur.£rl traveller (joy and ealvllUon) • rhe spiritual prepar.t1on 1s caretul and ~ ~~ppl1es well-plannedJ the poet recognizee \,ot,b thg ctltf1eul t..y or tha journey L'ld the imporl.ance 22 or rfJAcbing the ioal. Tha visiona17 }41grimGge ot thia poClll 18 lIlor. optudQtio thAn t.hat implied 1n ItFaruwell to t.ho CuW't." C Kalegn oontrasts a physioal existence otten robed ln vlolence (-Olood v.uut be my bodies balm~r·) ~~d injustioe with tho purity and justice or the "land or heaven." This tlaulab-land blAtt'!' 11 cOI';possd 01 ·Silver mountainos.- ~nectar tountnines," "cleare walla,· ·cbristall buokets." ~rubi8S thick6 as gravell,- and a ballot justice _ade ot "SeelL"1iB 01 D1~ondst S1II.phire lloor"e$.! High ",allee ot Corall and Pearle .Eowre,H (lines ))-)4). The magnificent wealth he envieione oan only intonsity the pilgrim's th1rst tram the weary wandering--A thirst tor the Judgment and justice ot Christ, It 18 a thirst to be "tiled with iMort4Utie." A 10nelinea8 surrounded the poet at the edge :0£ the void. but, .a he crosses it 1n this pou, he ,.,ovel fro:! belng a lolitA!"; wanderer 2) to a position A6 guide and tellow trnveller with other pilgrims. And by th& hAppie bliBtull vny Nor. peae~.rull Pl1zrim, I .htUl see, That haTe shoolce of.! their Gownes of cl.o.,y f And go. appareld fresh like C'\ee. n. bring tbell'L tirtJt To sInk. their th1r~t, ...... And when our bottle. and all we, Are tiid with ~orta11t1e: then the holy paths weel. trauell (xxx, 19-24, 29.,1) Tbs arrlval at Ghcavens nrlbeloft hnll/ ~bere no corrupted Yoioes brall tl11s the p11.rim-poet witb awe. Here there i .. no oorruption, or falae accusers; Christ will defend all the pilgrias. Tns realization ot luch benevolence. coupled with the br1111Mt.and beautiful surroundings, fills the pilgr1:ls with hit;h rovorence. For there Christ 18 tho Kines Atturney: t/ho plOlldolJ for nll withoat deJl"ee8, ...... Christ plt'tades his de ... th. and them lie li"e, (XXX, 40-41, ~6) The poet 1 II pil~i!!!ta&. has brought h1rt trom a snare-tilled and sorrowful world, trom an expeotation of inevlt.sble d&:ith to the promise Ilr.d ~rhapa the full r~al1%4tion th~t he '~r.ht attain L~rtal1ty--·and then we 11ue." If t!te poe-t. as sururestm! in other POatl'lS, auppoaed death lAY at the er..d of the jo-Jrnoy, he vas corroct. But, in t2u.a pooegI. it be-oO!!es evident that he believo! it 1. Christ'. death a8 Atonemont tor the pl1grit!l' e .ina and th~ sine 01 a hoat.11ft world. 24 The pilgrimage 18 complete; just10e bas ltD plAce hero rather than in tho 'OCulA~ world. the poet in ~lity recognize. th~ brevity ot physical existence. "Seeing ~ tl~sh ftust die co soon." He nska to be t1tted with an ueverlasting he~d." His plea 1. tor undeserved 1aaortality. 21 Hla soul vill "trend bleat pathslf 1n a nov land A.'1d a new 111'•• As .You Cru:ao trOlJl the Hol,y l.and Concurrent. with P.alegbta vis10n ot a heavenly p1lgrimage 18 his conoeption or eternal Ted tie. to be aO\libt out and Taluod in the present. 11t.. !hi object ot th18 seeklng 1s ~~ "durable tyr.- or true love. As you 0a:18 trcm the holy land ot Vals1r~"ham. Hat t you not with illY true lou8 :::'y tlw way .as you CaM 7 (As yov came trcm t.he holy land, XXI, 1-4) The question 1s ii4ked At tva pilarbll lIteet on tho road. The pa.~ 8truct~f'eO thfj dluog to emphasize the lnco~stancy or humt.tl. dedioa.tlon oO:l1parod to idoal devcticn. 'lhtt direction ot the 1'00"'" itt toward tho recognition ot thfl ldeal at nlt1IUte t.ruth .a objeot or the poet'. qu.est. Tho t.wo wanderers are soekers att.ar Truth in M7 IUlse, tha goal ot all pilgri"'8. '!'he pilgrim who has been tully awakened trt)Jl tho tnthlees droMs ot a narrow world, who han despaired QJ1d bat:t.1ed 1n preparAtion and ln Journeying, Mst not. only seeK ter hi11'.#eU hilt. must. alao question those who have trekked betore him. truth 10 11ko Ii. loved one. TiM a.."1d dlat,&1V8 separate And. the pUgr1m sftftks to know 1t bia true 10.,. (hi. ,oal.) 18 sUll attainable. 25 }:ben qUNltionod. tbe first p11.grin 18 quick to describe hie love, "as the heavens iayr•• - The reaoauranoe by the 48conu p1lgrl~ thnt ho hal seen. such beauty. t"m olnd ~rs~~ brings a lanent from. the t1rat pllgrla. Uhe hath l.tto me here all alono, All &llen., !is vnkncnme, \Ib.o lOQ.tymea did me lead with hoI" seUe. And MO loude .8 her ~e. I haua l~~. her all ny youth, Butt now ould, as you see. tout.: lykes not the t;,.llyng £rut.e Fran the vythllred tree. (XXI, 11-20, 25-28) Kr.owledge or the enotence ot h.1~ love i& not sufficlent. tho p1l.nr1m 18 alona, bereft, inc~pletl. The p11gr11'1 11ke a withered tree has been rejected, laughed at. by a oapricious child. The goal 1ft elusive. tar away I the pilgrimage 10 not over. The second p11grh1 llu(JfJ elsa'.'" the dichotomy. en" love i8 an IlnsubotanUal acmi'ort; the other constant and yart'l. One loave& the pilgrim cold and alone; th3 ot.hlJr procl.ses eternal, divine coN"ort in a chaotio and cruel world. tnow tha~ loua is 8 c~reles8 abylld And torgets pr"OF.yse paste t . He is bl;m 1M. talse love is l',eH.ut1fvl and childl1kn. It 18 ahcu-n..eterized bl inconstanoy_ nut. the oentral tor-Ott or tho dialog COI'!te& tro:a the reve- lation ot the natura or the -durable tyro· as Muoh 48 traM .xpo~ the laithleos 1m'J'lAtudty ot tal!. love, or tals. Soala. The .trect or j\lXtApo~1ng the Vletaphors at a !'uthlftl8, 1eature child au wnporn.l loye, and A durable tire as true love 1. the (lontra~t of two 80pnrAte and umd.xable tOr:UI ot anera. The poot.. the p1'lltr'1..'8. and all JW1kind. like other lat thlest5 chIldren, are cortain to respond to the kind or changing, elusive temporal love deacrlbed. They are vulnorable because they are 9\ortal; they are likely to oontuse tulporal love wi th the ;:oal ot the p1lgr1mage--th4) -durablu lyre" of ul tbate truth. lbe goal of the pl1,rlmq;e. then. 18 the central th~e at this poem. The goil is 3. cOll1.S1mln5. elttana1n:. and ewrlut,ing tire, which b1 ita U14ttO 8ltbod1t18 the essence or divine .nUttY. 11\. pilgrimage aoves towud tho cver-"'Jrnins .tIMe; l081S8r g041a rall away. The tire a1gn1.fie .. that w.."tich in hUllNUY unattainable--ultiaate truth. Had the pilgr.1D1 never lluked, ho ldtht have poraued the "oarel.ae chylld".lovo. anotbfJr kind or "truthlea jorell like tboAe he had coneclou8~1 re.,eotet1 to begin his quast. Tho -angelyke face," the ragal grace. lett h~ forlorn and cold w..ldch suggest. the a1 tUlltion of anotber lament, If:",!, Rll vbioh past. the soren: cnely etaiea. ~ Sorrow and despair accQ!lp~ hL'Il. but 1(amih. conetanoy, t.1lleles8ness are tho promises ot the goal the pilgrim seeks. Butt t.rue loue 1. a durable trre In the nyr.de !titer h'Jrnynee; Neuer sycke. rAuer ould, neuer dead, i'roD! 1 t t. sell. ntn: er turnynio. (m, 41..44) 2.1 The poet envia10nD tho obJeot. ot the qUftot. It 10 burning in hi8 mnd, tiReles" and eternal, an _bm of diTinlt7 and divine love. lbe world thraugh vh1ch ho Journeys 15 cbaotic; courta orw:tble, friend. desert, fortunes dissolve around tho poet. in reality. In b1t.ternesa the pl1,rUI had railed agldMt this chaoa. Tell fortune ot her blindness., tell nsturtt ot decay,' Tell friendship ot vnkindneege, t.11 1uatioe ot del_l_ And it they will reply, tben slue thea all the 11e. (The Lie, XXVI, ,5-60) The pilgria M.U~t seek faith in a faithl.. 8s world. The t1" become. a zurker tor anTon. who toll~g t.he quest tor ultimate tl"'uth. Ralegh has detined th~ tire'. bloascm.ng light and its und1~n1sh.d promise t.o all. A Y8DtnU tier that btlmoa. but never v:lstetb. That looseth n~l~ht by gov1n6ft 116ht to all That endless aMn.. eachwher and endle.. laateth ~109SU!'UUl ot pride that Qll.'\n nor yat4e nor tall. (The Ocean to Sclnthla, XXIV, 189-192) Wamth, light, and beauty nark tho end of the p1.1grllluICe. The pout's awnkening, bis 80rrow, and hie despair become incorporAted into the loal as well as tho 1(ay tovard it. The tiro will draw the traveUer to the end of' hie 'flay and prQ:!liael 1m~ortalit7 within ita eternal warmth. !:-utt truo Lou. is a durable lyre. Thoro iG endenee that. Ral~b viswed poatr;r as .x~'rfuudon. ot ideal truth, lema. and beauty ar..d thnt he \lS•• poetry tfI illuminate 28 contemporary experience a8 well as to increaGO ~an'8 understanding. Several ot Raleih'. poe.. develop a pl1gr1aage theme. The poet's pil arima,. 11 a journey ot the .pint through the misfortunos. lorrows. expectations. and visions ot 11te. The spiritual development ot the poet 18 expressed in his pl1grbtage }>01Jl\'l:!. Ra1egh'3 poet.ry cDpturoe the "durable lyre" ot the ,oala he 8ougbt. The.. PO«ft8 torm a dsv"loping expression or a pont who vaa aOlni.ant. ot man's potential tor sorrov. deepa1r. and eventual iMortalit7. ltie poetry 1. a 8durabl. t:tl'e" valid in our tiMe. 29 BOTES 1 Philip Magnus. Sir Walter Rale1«h (New York. N.!., 1956), pp. 66-61: J. H. Adamson and H. F. Folland. ,'!'he SheDhorn ot the Oc,an (Boston, Mass., 1969), pp. 231-233: M. C. Bradbrook. The School ot Night (Mew York, N.Y., 1965), p. 43. 2 See the unpublished dissertation (Ohio State, 196,), b1 John Raoine, Jr., "An Analysis ot Sir Walter Ralegh's The Historx or the World." abstract. , For turther discuesion ot the areas ot Ralegh'. interests and accomplishments the render is directed to: 'W. M. Wallaoe. §!!: Walter Raleigh (Princeton. N.J, 1959). pp. 82-84, A. L. Rewae, Sit Walt!r Raleigh (New York. N.Y., 1962), pp. 131-1'5; Magnuo. pp. 31-45; Adamson, pp. 95-102; Bradbrook. p. 31. 4 Ralegh as a skilled musician reoei ved praise trom several con t8lftperaries. A musioal publication, John Case's Praise of Nuaic. 1.596. was dedioated to Ralegh. (See Wallace. p. 8) Ralegh as a poet i8 praised by a nu~ber of contemporaries; Mong thm. are Pttttenh_. Gabriel Harvey, E..'iMund Spenser. See Agnes M. C. tat.hlUJl. The Poems or Sir lialter Ra1egh (Ca:lbrldge, YAsa., 1962), pp. lix-lxi,ll for the text. of several critioal cow~ents. 5 All quotations froM Ralegh's po~ are tram Agnes Latham's edition ot The Poems of Sir Walter Ralegb. The tiUe ot the pocn will tollow the first quotation, followed by the Roman num.eral assigned by Latham and the 11n. numbers. 6 See Rowse, p. 148; La.tham, p. xxiv. 1 Rowse, p. ISO. 8 ll)nald Davie, "A Reading of 'The Ocean I s Love to Cynthia I. It nizabethan Poetrl. John R. Brown and Bernard Harr10. ods. (New York. N. Y., 1960), p. 7CJ. 9 D'radbrook, p. 77. 10 Miss Latham suggests that possibly all The Phoenix Nest ~a and tour others were composed betore the mid-1580's. Thia would be les8 than halt or the poems. or the remaining poe=s, only eight are dated tentatively atter Ralegh's tall from royal favor in 1592. taae lathaM. pp. 89-90). 11 Lathru!l, flTextual Commentary," pp. 81-92. 12 Lathaa, pp. 88.09_ 1) Latham, p. 91. 14 J. Hannah, The Poems of Sir Walter Raleigh Colleoted and Authenticated vit.h Those of Sir Henry Wotton (London, England, 1910). 15 Gerald Bullett. The Silver Poets ot the Sixteenth Cantua (London, England, 1947). 16 See Charles 3. Gullans. nRalegb and Ayton: The Disputed Authorship ot 'Wrong ?lot Sweete Empress ot My Heart," ~. XIII (1960). 191-198, s. E. Sprott. "Ra1egh t s • Sceptio, and the Elizabethan TranD- 1ation or Sextus Impirious," ES. XLII (196). 166.170; Ernest A. Stratbmann. itA ~lote on the Ralegh Ca.non.- !1.§. (April 13. 1956), 228-230_ 11 See Rowse, p. 148; WallacfI. p. 69. )1 18 Bradbrook, pp. 4,-46. 19 Pater Ure, in bis essay. "'1'he Pootry ot Sir Yaltf'Jr ltaleBh." ~. I, lii (1960). p. 2" 88.78 F.alegb !faeems more mO'ftd to pity by the tate or the dioplQced poeta than pleased lMcatUliG a nev one hna out distanced thCtl'll. Q Ure's discussion does not sholl ovidence 1n tho pon which displays Ralegh'a p1ty or the note at tear and betrayal be auggeeta is hero. M1' reading ot tho poem disagrees tundomentally v1th Ure's observations. 20 The poem which baa been pointed to aa most uncharaoteristic ot Ralegb is "The pllS310nate mana Pilgrb'lnge (Ure, p. 27). I find, however, that it tits e~s11y into a grouping ot other POem! ~out pilgrims and pilgrink"lgea. It 18 said in various S:Muacrlpt. versions to have been cOI'!Sposed th(t night before RRlegh '8 exeout10n (Latham. p. 1"1). 21 See Helnn Askew, "RaleEth's The P11griCl!Kf!. It f.xolicator, XIII (1959), Item 9. tor a disoussion of Chr1stian symbols and Christian doctrine tOlmci in this poem. A SEL&:TED BIBLIOGRAPHY Adamson. J. H. and Folland. H. F. nt! Shepherd of the Ocean. .coston. )1aao.. 1969 • .hskew, Uclvin H. ftRalegb*a Tbe Pilgrime," ~el1eator. nII (19.59). Aubrey, John. Aul)rey' a Brier Liyes. Dick, ad. AM Arbor. lA.ich., 1957. Doven, Cat.ht:rine Drinker. The Lion and the Thron!!. Soat.oll. Haus., 19!)6. Bradbrook, N. C. The ScheY.>l of tlight. Ii.,., York. It.Y., 196.5. Brocket. C. F. Tucker. "Sir Walter Ralegn ac Foet and Fb11osopher. EL.'!, v (19y1). 93-112. Dullett.. Oerald. n18 Silvar Poets or th~ Sixteenth CfmtarI' London, Basb. 'Douglas.. F..nglish PofttrYl Tho Main Ct.lrr:ont8 FrO!.': Chaucer \0 the Present. New York, lI.Y., 1%.3. Craig, 11ar:11n. Tho Enohanted Gll~r.. Oxford. England, 1966. Creighton, Louise. ClSir Walt.er Ralogh, tc C4!:!1bridge History of English LiterAture. Vol. IV (New York. ti.l'., 1910), PI" 59-76. Davie, Donald. "A, Reading of ITho Ocunn tIS Love to Cynthia. II El1.!abeth!D Poetrl. UrOWfl\ John R. and Htlrris,l Bernard, eda. ?p.7l-59. New York, N.Y •• 1900. Evans, Maurice. English ?05tq in the Sixt.eenth C~ntltrx. London, England. 1967. Gullans. Cbarlel B. ·Ralei~ and Aytona The Disput.ed Authorship ot 'Wrong Hot Sweet. Empress ot My H&ari, It ~. WI (1960), 191-198. ') Hannah. J. !he Poem!) or Sir y,,'al tar Raloigh Collocted and Authenticated with Those ot Sir H!"ty Wotton. London, EnglAnd, 1910. Horner. Joyce. "The Larg. La.~loap.: A Study ot Inagou in Ralegh," ES8!y8 in Cr1t191~, V (1966), 197.21J. Irwin. Ma.rgaret. That Grellt Lucifer: A Port.rait of Sir 'Walter Ralft",h. Hew York, N.Y., 1956. LathatA, Agnes ~i.C •• ed. Tho Poens of Sir Valter Ralegh. Cruabridg&, Haas. t 1962. Mncnu8, Philip. §~r: Walter Raleigh. Nev York, N.Y., 1956. Mount., Cbarle$ E. "Mother Hubbard. Tale," 1iY!, m (1950) • .511-.523. Oakoahott. Walter. Tho queen and t.he Poe1;:. London, F~1md, 1960. Racine, John, Jr. "An Anuys10 or Sir Walter Ralo.gh', The fUatory of the ~or1dtn Ph.D. dissertation (Obio State university, 196'). Rowae, A. L. t!.~,r Walter Ralugh. Nev York. N.!., 1962. Rutlsell. Sanrlra. Jea:tne. "Ralegn's Universe." Ph.D. dissertation (Coluub1A University, 1966) Sslsl the /,. J. "Theory ~"\d Practice in t.he R«naissance f Two Kinds ot Iftagination,- Bulletin of John RX1ands Library. XLVII (1964), 212-24). Sprott. S. E. ttRale,hts •Scopt.io ' and the Elilabethnn l'ranalation ot SUt.U8 fl::tpir1cus, "la. XLII (196.3) t 166-110. Straten. \\alter F., Jr. "Ra1egh Ilnd the AJeTAs-A.mylla Episode," ~ V (1965). 105.114. Stratbmann, Ernest. A. IIIt. Jiote on the Ralegh Canon." !!:2 (April I), 1956) t 228-2,0' Taylor. HentY Oaborn. nu)usht and F~pre~81on in the Sixt!onth Century. Vol. n. !luw York, 19)0. Ura, Pot.er. "The Poet.r,r at Sir \C/alter Ralogh." Rp•• It iil (1960), 19-29. ""allace, Willard M. Sir "fAlter Ral.,d .. b'l. Princeton. U.J •• 19'9. T"tlE LIE Goe soule the bodtes guest Tell wit how much 1 t wrangles vpon a thanklesse arrant, 1n tickle paints of nycenesse, Feare not to touch the best Tell wisedome she entangles the truth shall be thy warrant: her selfe in ouer wisenesse. Goe since I needs must die, And when they doe reply and giue the world tHe 11e. straight giue them both the lie. Say to the Coutt it gloves, Tell Phisicke or her bo1dnes, and shines 11ke rotten wood, tell skill it is preuention: Say to the Churoh it showeo Tell oharity ot coldnes, Whets good, and doth no good. tell law it i8 contention, It Church and Court rep~, And as they doe reply then giue them both the 11e. 80 giue thea still the lie. Tell Potentates they liue Tell fortune of her blindnesse. aoting by otters aotion. tell nature ot decay. Not loued vnlesse they giue, Tell friendship of vnkindnease. not strong but by affeotion. tell iustice of delay. It Potentates reply, And if they will reply, giue Potentates the lie. then giue them all the lie. Tell men ot high condition, Tell Arts they haue no 8oundnesse, that mannege the estate, but vary by estee~ing, Their purpose is ambition, Tell schoo1es they want protoundnes their practise onely hate: and stand too much on seeming. And if they once reply. It Arts and schooles reply, then giue them all the lie giue arts and schooles the lie. Tell theM that braue it most. Tell faith its fled the Citie, they beg tor more by spending, tell how the country erreth, Who in their greatest cost Tell manhood shakos oft pittie, seek nothing but coremending. -tell vertue least preterreth And it they make replie. And if they doe reply, then giue them all the lie. spare not to giue the lie. Tell leale it wants deuotion So when thou hast as I, tell laue it is but lust commanded thee, done blabbing, Tell time it meets but motion, although to giue the lie, tell tlesh it is but dust. deserues no lesse then stabbing, And wish them not roplie Stab at thee he that will, tor thou must giue the lie. no stab thy soule oan kill. Tell age it daily w8steth, tell honour how it altera. Tell beauty how she blaoteth tell fouour how it falters And 8S they shall reply, glue euery one the lie. FAR~~LL TO THE COVRT TIl Like truthles dreames, so are my ioyes expired, And past return, are all my dandled daies: My loue misled, and fancie quite retired, Of all which past, the sorow onely staies. My lost delights now cleane from sight of land, Haue left me all alone in vnknowne waies: My minde to woe, my life in fortunes hand, Of all which past, the sorow onely staies. As in a countrey strange without companion, lonely waile the wrong of deaths delaies, Whose sweete spring spent, whose sommer well nie don, Of all which past, the sorow onely staies. Whom care forewarnes, are age and winter colde, To haste me hence, to find my fortunes folde. LIKE TO A HERMITE POORE XI Like to a Hermite poore in place obscure, I meane to spend my daies of endles doubt, To waile such woes as time cannot recure, Where none but Loue shall euer'finde me out. My foode shall be of care and sorow made, My drink nought else but teares falne from mine eies, And for my light in such obscured shade, The flames shall serue, which from my hart arise. A gowne of graie, my bodie shall attire, My staffa of broken hope whereon 11e staie; Of late repentance 1inckt with long desire, Tha couch is fram'de whereon my limbs Ile lay, And at my gate dispaire shall linger still, To let in death when Loue and Fortune will. A FAREWELL TO FALSE LOVE V ~ell false loue, the oracle of lies, A quenchlesse fire, a nurse of trembling feare, rtal foe and enimie to rest: A path that leads to perill and mishap, nuious boye, from whome all cares arise, A true retreat of sorrow and disp~e, stard vile, a 6eGl.:;-( with rage possest: An idle boy that sleepes in pleasures lap, y of error, a temple ful of treason, A deeps mistrust of that which eertaine seemes, 1 effects, contrarie vnto reason. A hope of that which reason doubtfull deemes. ysoned serpent couered all with flowers, Syth then thy traynes my yonger yeers betrayd er of sighes, and murtherer of repose, And for my fayth ingratitude I fynde. a of sorows from whence are drawen such .And sythe repentaunce hathe my wrongs showers, bewrnyde oyature lend to euerie griefe that growes, ,f,hose course was euer contrarye to kynde. nole of guile, a net of deepe deceit, False Loue; Desyre; and Bewty frayl adelie ilded hooke, that holds a poysoned bayte. Dead is the roote whence all these fancyes grewe. rtresse foyld, which reason did defend, en song, a feauer of the minde, ze wherin affection finds no ende, ging claude that runnes before the winde, ostance like the shadow of the Sunne, ale of grieib for which the wisest runne. THE PASSIONATE MANS PILGRIMAGE XXX Giue me my Scallop shell of quiet, And when our bottles and all we, y staffe of Faith to walke vpon, Are fild with immortalitie: My Scrip of loy, Immortall diet, Then the holy paths weele trauell y bottle of saluation: Strewde with Rubies thicke as grauell, ,y Gowne of Glory, hopes true gage, Seelings of Diamonds, Saphire floores, And thus Ile take my pilgrimage. High walles of Cor all and Pearle Bowres. Blood must be my bodies balmer, From thence to heauens Bribeles hall '0 other balme will there be giuen Where nO'corrupted voyces brall, ilst my soule like a white Palmer No Conscience molten into gold, rauels to the land of heauer, Nor forg'd accusers bought and sold, er the siluer mountaines, No cause deferd, nor vaine spent lorney, ~ere spring the Nectar fountaines: For there Christ is the Kings Atturney: nd there lle kisse Who pleades for all without degrees, e Bowle of blisse, And he hath Angells, but no fees. nd drink my eternall fill n euery milken hill. When the grand twelue million Iury, y soule will be a drie before, Of our sinnes and sinfull fury, ut after it, will nere thirst more. Gainst our soules blacke verdicts giue, Christ pleades his death, and then we liue, d by the happie blisfull way Be thou my speaker taintles pleader, ore peacefull pilgrims I shall see, Vnblotted Lawer, true proceeder, ,at haue shooke off their gownes of clay, Thou mouest saluation euen for almes: nd goe appareld fresh like mee. Not with a bribed Lawyers palmes. le bring them first o siake their thirst, And this is my eternall plea, ~ then to tast those Neotar suckets To him that made Heauen, Earth and Sea, t the cleare wells Seeing my flesh must die so soone, ,ere sweetnes dwells, And want a head to dine next noone, awne vp by Saints in Christall buckets. lust at the stroke when my vaines start and spred . Set on my soule an,euerlasting head. Then am I readie like a palmer fit, To tread those blest paths which before I writ. AS YOU CAME FROM. .THE HOLY LAND XXI As you came from the holy land Whats the cause that she leaues you alone Of Walsinghame And a new waye doth take; Mett you not with my true loue Who loued you once as her owne By the way as you came? And her ioye did you make? aow shall I know your trew loue I haue loude her all my youth. That haue mett many one Butt now ould, as you see, As I went to the holy lande Loue lykes not the fallyng frute That haue come, that haue gone? From the wythered tree. She is neyther whtye nor browne Know that Joue is a careless chylld Butt as the heauens fayre And forgets promyse paste, rhere is none hathe a forme so diuine He is blynd, he is deaff when he lyste In the earth or the ayre. And in faythe neuer faste. uch an one did I meet. good Sir, His desyre is a dureless contente Suche an Angelyke face, And a trustless ioye o lyke a queene, lyke a nymph, did appere He is wonn with a world of despayre By her gate, by her grace. And is lost with a toye. he hath lefte me here all alone, Of women kynde such indeed is the loue All allone as vnknowne, Or the word Loue abused o somtymes did me lead with her selfe, Vnder which manychyldysh desyres And me loude as her owne. And conceytes are excusde. Butt true Loue is a durable fyre In the mynde euer burnynge; Neuer sycke, neuer ould, neuer dead, From itt selfe neuer turnynge.